If you’d like to get your heart rate up, strength train and core train all at the same time, then grab a kettlebell. Celebrities and celebrity trainers have been ringing and singing the praises of kettlebells for years. The Russians have taken kettlebells from the scales to the gym.
According to Kettlebell Concepts, “Folklore has it that Kettlebells were used as counterweights at Russian markets. At the end of the day these farmers would swing, toss, and juggle these weights for fun and exercise. Parents taught children from generation to generation. It became part of the culture as the people’s method for vitality and physical fitness.”
I am actually certified in KBC Concepts Kettelbell Training www.kettlebellconcepts.com and know the benefits of using them firsthand to sculpt my body. Kettlebells kick traditional weight training up a knotch by adding an extra measure of functionality to the workout.
The key is the fact that you need to stabilize the body as you are working out with kettlebells. For example, a dumbbell has a specific movement, whereas with kettlebells you have to adjust because their weight is not evenly distributed.
This particular element allows for mimicking movements or “lifeskills” as I like to refer to them such as picking up grocery bags, carrying your kids, reaching up on a shelf, etc.
Kettlebell Concepts Creators teach their instructors about the establishment of kettlebells in the fitness world. “In 1981, USSR Weightlifting Federation establishes first official Kettlebell Commission in order to: keep Masses fit, decrease healthcare costs and increase labor productivity.”
Kettlebell training can up your calorie expenditure by 50 percent. In fact, research shows that in just 20 minutes of kettlebell training, you can burn up to 300 calories. When you factor in your heart rate getting up, plus the amount of energy it takes to repair the body, you’ve increased your daily calorie expenditure as well.
I suggest starting with a lighter kettlebell of five or 10 pounds until you learn the moves. Here are some basic kettlebell exercises as detailed in the Kettlebell Concepts Performance and Health Track Training Manual:
The Swing
Stand with your feet a little wider than hip distance across. Squat down into a position while your still able to keep your knee from going over your toe line. Stand up from that squat position as you swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height. Bend your knees as the kettlebell descends and repeat. Do about 15 of these.
Around the Body Pass
Start with both hands holding the kettlebell in front of your body. Move the kettlebell with the right hand only and bring it behind your back to meet your left hand completing a full circle to the front of the body. Repeat on left side. Do 10 reps on each side.
Squat
Stand with feet hip distance apart and hold kettlebell in front of you. Sit back into a squat position, making sure to keep your knees from crossing over your toe line.
References:
“Kettlebell Concepts Introduction to Kettlebell Lifting – IdeaFit.com” Idea Health and Fitness Association Web 28 Dec. 2011.
http://www.ideafit.com/files/Khai_Michelle_Kettlebell_Concepts_Introduction_to_Kettlebell_Lifting_165.pdf
Kettlebell Concepts Performance and Health Track Level 1, 2006; Adam Khai-Cronin, Michelle Khai-Cronin, Dave Ganulin.
Joanne Sgro-Killworth is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is a Studio trained and Certified Pilates Instructor as well as holds certifications in Pre-natal/Post-Partum Exercise, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training.
Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her husband, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.
Edited by Jody Smith